A Nation Of Cheapskates? Australians Prefer Budget TVs To Premium Brands

According to a new study by consumer product ratings board Canstar Blue, Australian consumers are big fans of cheaper TVs, with SONIQ and LG jointly taking out the top slots for customer satisfaction.

TV picture from Shutterstock

As part of its annual TV satisfaction ratings report, Canstar Blue polled Australian households about their TV habits and preferred brands. Among other findings, they discovered that around 38% of Australian homes have three or more televisions in them, with the number of boob-tubes sometimes outnumbering people.

Interestingly, when it came to the most popular brands, top tier manufacturers like Panasonic and Sony were conclusively bested by the cheapy brand known as SONIQ.

“SONIQ markets itself as very affordable so it’s expected that they will rate highly on value for money but they also performed well in other areas that contribute to overall satisfaction,” explained Canstar Blue’s Rebecca Logan.

“LG is another brand that appeals to a wide range of consumers. Specifically, our ratings show that the performance and ease of use have helped LG to jointly achieve our ‘Most Satisfied Customers’ award for televisions with SONIQ.”

But its not just about cheap prices: as you can see in the above table, the similarly affordable Dick Smith, Kogan and Hinense received an overall satisfaction rating of three-out-of-five stars, which was the lowest score in the study. You can check out the full TV customer satisfaction ratings report over at Canstar Blue’s website.

How much importance do you place on brand when it comes to purchasing a new TV? Can you even tell the difference between a top-of-the-range Sony and a sub-$500 SONIQ? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


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